Notice to ADM for “concealing” info on Priyanka land purchase case

Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh Information Commission today issued notices to ADM-cum-PIO, Shimla, and others asking them why penalty should not be imposed on them for “concealing” information in a supplementary plea filed by an RTI activist in the case relating to purchase of land by Priyanka Vadra near here.

Priyanka Vadra

The State Chief Information Commissioner Bhim Sen, while hearing the petition of RTI activist Debasheesh Bhattacharya, also said that Information Commission offices do?not maintain records as per the government order, which also adds to the delay in giving information.

Bhattacharya had sought from the PIO information regarding the number of appeals filed before the First Appellate Authority (FAA)-cum-Deputy Commissioner between January 15, 2014 and 15 January 2015 in which the appeal was decided on the same day and alleged that information provided to him in response to the supplementary RTI in connection with Priyanka Vadra land purchase case was not complete.

Bhattacharya also pointed out that in the five cases mentioned in the reply, no order was passed and these were simply transfer orders and the lone case in which orders were issued was not mentioned in the reply.

Bhattacharya further said that he had filed another appeal against the orders of FAA with State Information Commission on January 20, 2015 but the PIO refused to acknowledge the receipt of the letter and he had to submit the certificate from the postal authorities to establish that the letter was duly received by the Diarist of FAA on March 7, 2015.

Priynka Vadra had filed an appeal against the orders of the PIO on December 23, 2014 through her lawyer and FAA decided the appeal on the same day and stayed the orders without even issuing a notice to Bhattacharya.

The RTI activist then filed another application seeking information regarding the number of cases in which FAA had acted so promptly.